X-Men ’97 and Deadpool & Wolverine are dominating the pop cultural mutant moment, but big things are also happening in the X-Men comics world right now. The groundbreaking Krakoan era of X-Men, the brainchild of writer Jonathan Hickman, is coming to a close after five years. A new era will begin immediately thereafter, titled “From the Ashes.” To celebrate the end of one era and the start of another, Marvel Comics is celebrating X-Men history with a fantastic wraparound cover by artist Scott Koblish. This cover honors nearly every character that has appeared in the X-Men titles over the past 60 years. You can check out the first part of the cover right here:
Koblish’s celebration of all things X-Men will be presented as a wraparound cover on four big X-issues this summer. This starts with June’s X-Men #35, technically the 700th issue of Uncanny X-Men, on sale June 5. You can also find it on the first issues of the three “From the Ashes” X-Men series. These include Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman’s X-Men #1, on sale July 10. Gail Simone and David Marquez’s Uncanny X-Men #1 and Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s Exceptional X-Men #1 will continue the piece, and arrive later this summer.
The characters presented on this cover range from the iconic to the obscure, from early years to more recent runs. Sure, there’s Magneto and several Sentinels, but nearly unknown ’60s villains like Vanisher and the Stranger made the cut as well. They included almost every X-Man, but also many of their allies, like the Starjammers and Carol Danvers. Also, nearly every character who ever channeled the Phoenix Force appears, from Jean Grey to Avengers vs. X-Men’s “Phoenix Five.” The first two covers focus more on the X-Men’s first thirty years, with the next two no doubt focusing on the last three decades. Which X-Men will appear in the next two covers? We certainly can’t wait to find out.
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